Motor cooling and vehicle body heating system



Oct. 13, 1942.

s. w. RUSHMORE 2,298,969

MOTOR COOLING AND VEHICLE BODY HEATING SYSTEM File ad March 27, 1942 a a4f g 3 JJ INVENTOR kwazz fl/iww/ame' BY ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 13,, 1942OFFICE MOTOR COOLING AND VEHICLE BODY HEATING SYSTEM Samuel WillisRushmore, Plainfield,.N. J.

Application March 27, 1942, Serial No. 436,395

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in cooling systems for internalcombustion engines and associated vehicle body heating means adapted topresent important advantages and an improved mode of operation conduciveto better cold weather operation of the motor.

The present improvements are desirably incorporated with an internalcombustion engine of the type adapted to be water cooled with a boilingand condensing cycle of the cooling liquid as illustrated in my priorPatent No. 1,851,407 of March 29, 1932. As therein shown, the water andsteam from the top of the water jacket of the motor are discharged intothe base of the radiator and the steam condensed in passing upwardlytherethrough to the top tank of the radiator. From the latter the wateris fed, under the action of a pump, to the water jacket of the engine tocomplete the cycle in the manner as described. Incident to thisperfected type of cooling system certain important advantages areobtained including reduced piston friction, better vaporization andcombustion of the fuel gases, elimination of crank case dilution andpre-- vention of rusting thereby increasing the life of the engine.

In accordance with the present invention there is associated therewithprovision for maintaining a pressure in the engine jacket materiallyhigher than the pressure in the cooling radiator. This, moreover, iswith advantage combined with a vapor heating system for the vehicle bodyand with the employment of a special form of pressure valve having avacuum relief or supplementary valve provides for a desirable addeddegree of protection to the engine against freezing peculiarly valuableto the referred to type of motor cooling wherein under certainconditions of cooling off of the motor on shutting down there results anobjectionable separation of the water and alcohol between the jacket andthe radiator thereby increasing the hazard of freezing. As illustrative,with the use of alcohol in the cooling liquid upon starting up of themotor the first vaporization will be chiefly that of the alcohol, whichboils at about 175 degrees F., thereby transferring a substantial partof the alcohol content tothe radiator and its tank.

With the present improvements the vacuum relief valve permits returnflow of the alcohol fluid from the radiator upon cooling Within thejacket with a desirable increased flow under the influence of likecooling and condensation in the vehicle body heating system as will beunderstood. In addition, the relatively high pressure maintained in theengine jacket, desirable for proper circulation of the steam for bodyheating, is materially beneficial in raising the normal operatingtemperature of the motor. This accordingly avoids the objectionablefactor of undesirable lowering of the jacket temperature incident to theuse of alcohol as customarily occurs and which operates against goodmotor performance.

The foregoing and other valuable features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanyigdrawing wherein like reference characters are applied to thecorresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation, partly in section showing thepresent invention incorporated with an internal combustion engine andradiator therefor.

Fig. 2 is a partial, detailed vertical sectional view showing thepressure valve with relief.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal, sectional view of the relief and pressure valvetaken on line 3--3 of In the approved embodiment of the invention ashere shown, the motor is conventionally shown as including the usualcrank case I and cylinder block 2, the upper parts of which are enclosedby Water jacket 3. The water cooling system is conventionally indicatedas including the radiator 4, located as usual on the same level with themotor and directly in front of it, so that the lower part of theradiator is below the level of the water jacket of the motor. Thecirculation of the Water from the top tank l5 of the radiator is througha pipe 5 to pump 6, the latter being preferably driven from the engineat directly proportional speed. The pump is indicated as being a gearpump but this is merely to illustrate that the pump is adapted toreceive the water and force it into the Water jacket against frictionand any back pressure that may be caused by steaming and as in thepresent invention pressure within the jacket. This pump dischargesthrough a pipe 1, preferably into the top of the Water jacket 3, whencethe path of flow is through a riser outlet 8 and .downwardly extendingreturn pipe 9 which discharges into the bottom tank of the radiator.

The pipe 1 contains a check valve It to insure against back flow ofWater or steam such as might otherwise occur under operating conditionswhen the engine and pump are stopped. This valve is located asubstantial distance above the level of the pump 6 so that the outputside of the pump will always be submerged in a substantial amount ofwater.

In general, the bottom of the upper tank I is substantially below thedesired initial level of water in the engine jacket 3, when the latteris full; the intake level 5a, is substantially above said level and theheight of the tank above the intake is such as to provide a substantialstorage space into which a substantial part of the total water of thesystem may rise above the intake 5a under extreme conditions of hightemperture, hard boiling. The referred to features conform to thedisclosure of the patent referred to and possesses special operatingadvantages as referred to in addition to other advantages includingreduction in the time of the warming up period of the motor. Incombination therewith, as shown, means are provided for the heating ofthe vehicle body by steam from the Water jacket which is conventionallyindicated by supply pipe 2l from the jacket, heating coil 22 for heatradiation within the body and return pipe 23 communicating with theradiator lower tank I2.

In accordance with the present improvements, the structure is modifiedto include a pressure valve 25 desirably located as shown at thedischarge port of the engine jacket as part of the riser 8 connectingwith the radiator return pipe 9. This valve comprises a casing 25secured to the upper wall of the cylinder jacket by screws 27. Thecasing is formed with a nipple 28 communicating with the riser pipe 8attached thereto. Within the casing there is provided a sleeve valvemember 30 having a bottom valve disc portion 3| formed to close thedischarge opening or port 33 in the jacket wall. The valve is springpressed by compression spring 35 for normal closing of the valve againstthe jacket wall seat and the disc portion is formed with the marginalopenings 3636 open to the interior of the valve sleeve outward of theport opening 33. The valve disc portion is further provided withinwardly positioned openings 38 normally closed by a spring pressedValve 48 slidably fitted to a screw stud Q2 and pressed against thevalve disc 3| by compression spring 43 interposed between the valve 40and a bearing washer 45 as shown. The valve 49 is thus adapted to openresponsive to pressure acting reversely of the pressures operative toopen the sleeve valve 3| and is moreover designed to open underrelatively low pressures and as will be noted is held closed by pressurefrom within the jacket.

In the resulting operation, the heat of the motor will build up a steampressure within the jacket determined by the sleeve valve, which maydesirably be about ten pounds pressure, thus providin the requiredpressure for circulating the steam through the body heating connectionswith the excess steam passing to the radiator 4 from pipe 9. Uponshutting down and cooling of the motor a vacuum is built up within thejacket from condensation therein and Within the body heating connectionsat which time the lighter pressure yielding valve 4!! permits return offluid from the radiator, normally open to atmospheric pressure, therebyinsuring alcoholic content fluid protection within the jacket.

This constant and relatively high pressure within the jacket isparticularly valuable in maintaining a higher temperature within thejacket under normal running thus contributing to improved motorperformance in cold weather operation. There is further a, materialreduction of water and steam sent over to the surge tank 12 andreduction of violent boiling under extreme operation and reducedliklihood of formation of steam pockets in the circulation.

The upper tank I5 is provided with the usual filler closure l3 and wateroverflow pipe H. A cook 20 is provided at the desired normal or coldwater level in the system, which is ordinarily the top of the waterjacket cavity of the engine. This cock may be open when the system isfilled with water or fluid cooling medium so that the operator mayobserve when the desired water level is reached and may then be closed.

While the improved features and mode of operation are particularlyeffective and desirable in combination with the body heatingcirculation, it will be understood that material advantages are presentwithout such body heating particularly as relating to increase in thetemperature under normal operation resulting from the higher jacketpressures which may be as high as fifty pounds pressure with desirableresults of improved motor operation.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An internal combustion engine having a boiling and condensing cyclecooling system including an engine water jacket and a radiator providingnormally separate, non-interfiow, fluid reservoirs, means forcirculating a cooling medium from the jacket through the radiator andpressure responsive valve means associated with the circulating means tobe operative on motor operation to maintain a pressure in the enginejacket materially higher than the pressure in the radiator and adaptedto permit retur flow from the radiator to th jacket responsive to vacuumin the jacket incident to cooling of the engine.

2. An internal combustion engine having a boiling and condensing cyclecooling system including an engine water jacket and a radiator providingnormally separate, non-interfiow, fluid reservoirs, means forcirculating a cooling medium from the jacket through the radiator andvalve means i the circulating means consisting of a pressure responsivevalve operative to maintain a pressure in the engine jacket materiallyhigher than the pressure in the radiator and provided with a reverselyacting vacuum relief valve to permit return flow from the radiator tothe jacket responsive to vacuum in th jacket incident to cooling.

3. An internal combustion engine having a boiling and condensing cyclecooling system including an engin water jacket and a radiator providingnormally separate, non-interflow, fluid reservoirs, means forcirculating a cooling medium from the jacket through the radiatorincluding a pipe connection from the jacket to the radiator and valvemeans in series with said pipe connection consisting of a spring pressedsleeve valve operative to maintain a pressure in the jacket higher thanwithin the radiator and said valve being provided with a upplementary,reversely acting spring valve operative to permit return fiow from theradiator to the jacket responsive to vacuum in the jacket incident tocooling.

SAMUEL W. RUSHMORE.

